بَنِي عامرٍ رُدُّوا عَنِ الشرِّ عامرا

ولن يَجدَ الباغي على البغي ناصرا

O Bani Amir, refrain from evil, fully refrain

The transgressor will find no helper against transgression

أصابَ هوىً من نفسِ أربدَ فابتغَى

من الأمرِ ما يُعيي الكميَّ المُقامرا

He who desires ruin for himself has fallen in love

With that which exhausts the gambler in his undertaking

وجاء بمكرٍ لا محالة خائبٍ

وأخيبُ أهل السُّوءِ من كان ماكرا

He came with a plan that was inevitably doomed

And the evil-doers were disappointed, however much they schemed

أناشِدُكم هل صاحبَ الوفدُ منهما

بني عامرٍ إلا أثيماً وفاجرا

I ask you, was the leader of the delegation really one of them

Bani Amir, other than a sinner and a reprobate?

هما أزمعا أن يأخذا اللّيثَ خادِراً

على غِرَّةٍ والجهلُ يُعمِي البصائرا

They intended to catch the lion unawares

In foolishness, while ignorance blinds the sights

دنا الأحمقُ المخبولُ منه وهذه

يَدُ السُّوءِ منه تحملِ السَّيفَ باترا

The stupid fool drew near him, and this

Is the hand of evil extending towards him a blunt sword

يشيرُ إليهِ ابنُ الطفيلِ أنِ اقْتَحِمْ

وماذا يَردُّ السيفَ لو كان قادرا

Ibn Al-Tufayl gestures to him: Go ahead and attack!

What can a sword do if it had the power?

أبَى اللَّهُ إلا أن يُعِزَّ رسولَهُ

ويرجعُ من يبغِي به السُّوءِ صاغرا

God refused except to honor His Messenger

And render him who wishes him evil humiliated

أطاعَ هَواهُ جاهلاً وخلا بِهِ

يُخادِعُه كيما يرى الدمَ مائرا

He obeyed his passions ignorantly, and so he remained

Deceiving him so that he might see blood spilled

أتسألُه يا ابنَ الطفيلِ خِلافةً

وَتطمعُ أن تُدْعَى الشَّريكَ المُشاطِرا

Do you ask him, O Ibn Al-Tufayl, for the caliphate

And hope to be called an equal partner?

لكَ الويلُ ما هذا الذي أنتَ قائلٌ

أكنتَ امرءاً من نفسِهِ رَاحَ ساخِرا

Woe to you! What is this you are saying?

Were you a man whose soul had found peace?

جُبارُ اسْتَقِمْ واشهدْ فَربُّكَ واحدٌ

وخُذْ حظّكَ الأوفى من الخيرِ شاكرا

Tyrant, be upright, and testify that your Lord is One

And take your full share of good with gratitude

وبَشِّرْ رعاكَ اللَّهُ صحبَكَ أنّهم

أصابوه غُنماً من هُدى اللهِ وافرا

And give glad tidings to your comrades that they

Have been granted abundant guidance and bounty from God

وَدَعْ عامراً يهوِي به الداءُ خاسِئاً

وأربَدَ يَلْقَى الحتفَ خَزيانَ خاسِرا

And leave Amir to be struck down by disease miserable

And Arbad to meet his death disgraced and failed

رماه الذي يرمي القُوى فَيهدُّها

فهدَّ قُواهُ إنّه كان كافرا

He who casts down the mighty cast him down

So his strength was reduced, for he was an unbeliever

بصاعقةٍ ممّا رَمَى اللهُ إذ رمى

ثموداً وعاداً والقرون الغوابرا

With a thunderbolt, from what God has hurled

When He hurled at Thamud, and Aad, and ages past

رَماهُ بها ناريَّة لو تنزّلتْ

على جبلٍ لانْدَكَّ في الأرضِ غائرا

He hurled it at him, fiery, such that if unleashed

Upon a mountain it would be swallowed into the earth

أبى عامرٌ من شيمةٍ جاهليةٍ

لِقاءَ الرَّدى عند التي جَاءَ زائرا

Amir refused, out of Jahili arrogance

To meet his doom from she who came visiting

يقول أطاعوناً وموتاً بمنزلٍ

يَضيقُ بأمثالي إذن لستُ عامرا

He says, "They have obeyed me," and "Death in my dwelling

Is too narrow for the likes of me. Then I am no Amir"

جَوادِي جَوادِي ليس لي غيرَ مَتنهِ

أُلاقِي عليهِ عادِيَ الموتِ كابرا

My steed, my steed! I have none but its back

On which to meet my obstinate death

وجاءوا به يُزجيه عزريلُ فاسْتوى

على سرجِهِ وانْسَابَ حرّان ثائرا

And they brought him, dragged by Azrael, and he mounted

His saddle and charged off fiery and defiant

يَجولُ عليه يَحملُ الرُّمحَ ما يرى

سوى حتفه المقدور قرناً مغاورا

He parades around, bearing his lance, seeing

Naught but his destined fate, a looming disaster

فما هو إلا أن هوى غير معقب

سِوَى الخزيِ من ذكرٍ لمن كان ذاكرا

And no sooner did he plunge down, never to rise

Except to disgrace, for one who would be remembered

مضى الأمرُ لم يَسمعْ عُكاظٌ نِداءَهُ

ولم تشهدِ الأقوامُ تِلكَ المفاخرا

The matter is over – Ukaz did not hear his cry

And the tribes did not witness those vainglorious boasts

إذا المرءُ لم يُؤمِنْ ولم يَخْشَ ربّهُ

فليس يَرى شيئاً على الدَّهرِ ضائرا

When a man does not believe in and fear his Lord

He will see nothing in this life as harmful

ألحّتْ عليه دعوةٌ من مُحمّدٍ

رَمتهُ بداءٍ يتركُ الطِّبَ حائرا

An inescapable curse from Muhammad befell him

Striking him with an illness that leaves medicine lost

رسولُ الهُدَى والخيرِ من يَرْعَ حقَّهُ

فليس يَرى شيئاً على الدّهرِ ضائرا

The Messenger of guidance and good - he who respects his rights

Will see nothing in this life as harmful

لقد كان فيما قَال أربدُ زاجرٌ

عن الشَّرِّ لو يخشَى امرؤُ السّوءِ زاجرا

Indeed, in what Arbad said there was one who warned

Against evil, if the evil-doer had heeded the warner

رأى آيةً تَغتالُ هِمَّةَ نفسِهِ

وتُذهِلُ منه اللُّبَّ لو كان ناظرا

He saw a sign that killed his soul's resolve

And confused his mind, had he been a seeker

كِلاءةُ ربٍّ كلُّ أصيدَ غالبٍ

يبيدُ ويبقى غالبَ البأسِ قاهرا

The powerlessness of a Lord whose every prey is conquered

Who prevails and endures, compelling and supreme